cereal vs. banana

N

Nataliemay24

Member
Stats for a medium-sized banana:
100 cals
2 grams fiber
25 grams carbs
0 grams fat
1 gram protein
lots of vitamins

Stats for a cup of not-whole-grain cereal (Cornflakes):
100 cals
2 grams fiber
25 grams carbs
0 grams fat
1 gram protein
lots of vitamins

So why in the WORLD is the banana better for you than the not-whole-grain cereal?? I'm not eating "white things" (other than tofu and egg whites), but I'm eating up to 3 fruits a day...remind me why I'm doing this again?? It doesn't seem to make sense here.
 
who says bananas are okay? My nutritionist put them on my verboten list along with raisins and I think pineapple and watermelon if I'm remembering correctly. Most other fruits are okay though.
 
Why are banana's and pineapple not good for you? I love both of those and eat them all the time.

Joanne
 
The answer to the first question, about why the banana is better than the cereal, is that the banana also has some vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. Truthfully, these things seem nitpicky to me though.

Why they are considered "bad" is that their glycemic index is really unfavorable. I don't recall if that's high or low, but it's the bad direction. Too sweet in other words.
 
They are high on the glycemic index. Too many simple sugars cause your blood sugar level to spike. These days nutritionists are recommending that you eat more complex carbs that take your body longer to process to keep your blood sugar levels even throughout the day. You won't believe the difference it makes in how you feel! Much less tired! :)
 
Amen sister on the whole GI thing. Also helps your skin. I have eliminated breakouts from a formerly very break outable face by following a low GI diet.....lots more energy too.

Jen
 
I don't believe that cornflakes are low glycemic. And I also don't see why we need to fuss quite so much about the food we eat. Is food eaten in its natural state (banana) not better than processed food (cornflakes)?

I choose the banana every time. I use the energy in my workouts and everyday life, I don't care where the carbs fall on an abstract index. It's worlds away from Macdonald's fries or a chocolate bar. Those are the real demons.

(Sorry if I sound hostile, I don't mean to be, I'm just taking a beak from grading student papers and I'm so bored and frustrated with them!!!!!!!)

Clare :)
 
Clare: I don't think cornflakes are low glycemic either, so I suppose, these two foods on the original are probably interchangeable. I missed that she was comparing it to a processed cereal. Bananas are very high in sugar.

Bread, rice, pasta, potatoes are all high glycemic. All cereals are too, except probably kashi or slow cook oatmeal. Banana happens to be one of the high glycemic fruits, but most fruits aren't high glycemic.

I disagree with you that the GI index is "some abstract index". Changing my way of eating to a low GI index (which has very real impact on your blood sugar and body) has cleared up my skin, improved my energy level, improved my feeling of well being and dropped fat off like crazy. Diabetics have to stick to a low GI index (I am not one) or suffer very real health consequences.

For the record, I agree that Mcdonalds and candybars are worse than eating a banana or cornflakes.

It is one of those grey areas based on personal motivations....I do believe you are what you eat and have come to believe diet is very very important. I am fairly strict with my diet cause I like that changing it has changed my life. However (shrug) all things in a proper perspective for each individual....not worth stress!

So much nutrition stuff out there...it can get overwhelming. To each his own! Hope your day improves!!!! :) :) :)

Jen
 
Thanks for everyone's input! I'm wondering also about the whole grain vs. cornflakes thing, too: If they added all those vitamins and minerals to the cornflakes, why would I choose a (often higher-calorie) whole-grain cereal instead?

Also, I know that added sugar is "bad," but there's lots and lots of sugar in fruits, milk, and plain yogurt, too - simple sugars like fructose and lactose (actually I'm not sure if lactose is a simple sugar). So why are sugars from those "natural" sources usually considered better?
 
They are more complex sometimes, and thus take a bit longer to turn into glucose, but the main reason is that natural foods almost always come with more fiber and other complex molecules that slow down your digestion and/or provide nourishment. Processed foods contain simple sugars, cheap starches and molecules put in there to fool your taste buds into thinking there is quality in there, extending the shelf life, giving it some color or other, etc. It's cheap to add vitamins to cheap cereal. The natural cereals often havem more expensive ingredients.

I'm not itching for a fight here, just explaining the rationale.
 
I don't know a lot about the glycemic index, but I have read that if you eat a high glycemic food and pair it with a low glycemic food, then the high glycemic food really doesn't spike your blood sugar because of the effects of the lower glycemic food. This makes sense to me, but I'm not sure if it's true or not.

Erica
 
I believe bananas are also high in potassium (an important mineral).

I guess in terms of weight loss - sugar is sugar. Whether it is natural or not, it can spike your blood sugar. But you can't discount the presence of fiber. Most fruits (not bananas though) are high in fiber which slows down the release of sugar into the blood. Also if you add protein into the equation, the release of sugar into the blood is slowed down some more.

So if you eat a bowl of extremely high fiber cereal or oatmeal with cottage cheese in it (for protein) and a banana cut up into it, you should have a complete meal that gives you a good amount of energy over sustained period of time.

Infact if I don't add a few simple carbs into a meal rich in protein and fiber, I feel as if I am getting no energy at all and become sluggish. I personally used to feel very lethargic until the nutritionist I was seeing urged me to use simple carbs in my diet. But she did recommend those that are highest in vits/ mins like fruits and potatoes.

As far as cornflakes go, they're yummy but they are kind of processed/ low in fiber and high on the glycemic index. They're a nice treat though. A banana on the other hand can work well in a clean diet on a regular basis if balanced with protein and fiber. So if you like bananas, you can eat them. Pineapple with cottage cheese is another great snack.
 
I was going to add, and apparently should have done so, that, given the two choices, the banana is much better because it's 100% clean in terms of "clean eating", and cereal is much less "clean". It depends what you're going for. If clean eating is all you want, then the banana is perfect. If low fat is what you're going for, the banana is also perfect.

I'm trying to eat clean and also low GI and limiting my fats to vegetable oils. I guess it all gets pretty complicated when you think about it. Anyway, I'm far from perfect. I'm the first one to eat the bread at a restaurant, and I don't hestitate to order homemade pasta when I see it on the menu at an Italian restaurant. After all, I don't want to miss anything really great :) Life is too short!
 
Hi, Natalie,

On the Glycemic Index, with table sugar at 100, a banana scores 50 and corn flakes 84. Corn flakes are highly processed and broken down very quickly and the vitamins are added. I like bananas after very sweaty workouts and use them to sweeten my cereal. I look for cereals that have 10 or more grams of fiber per serving and 10 or less grams of sugar. Foods that are high on the glycemic list are ok if eaten with foods that are low, high in fiber, protein or fat as all these things slow down digestion and prevent a blood sugar spike. Acidic foods do too. The most important thing is eating a balanced diet. If your diet is balanced, there's really no food that you can't eat including white pasta, rice and bread. As Nancy says, life is short so if you want a banana, or even corn flakes, eat them in moderation. Moseration is key!
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"
 
The one important fact that was left out of the comparison was the grams of sugar in each item...banana vs the Corn Flakes. I think the GI makes a tremendous amount of sense out of the foods available to us. And keep in mind that diabetics need to use the GI for controling their condition. I too look at the amount of sugar contained in a purchased food before I buy it. It's like trans fat, try to avoid the bad foods that are out there...sweetened cereals, donuts, cookies, cakes, pancake mixes, syrup...I read somewhere that it is easiest to just not buy foods that come in a box or a bottle! Now, of course we all won't eat perfectly all the time...just try to do your best in avoiding the foods that have sugars added to them.;)

If you keep to the ideal of eating whole grains, and veggies and fruits in as close to their natural state as possible...you'll do fine. Also throw in fish, eggs, dairy, and lean meats if you're not vegetarian.

So, given the two choices which would be best for you to eat, the banana hands down. However, if you like Corn Flakes mix it half and half with a high fiber low sugar cereal (Kashi's or Fiber One). I like the Kellog's Great Grains cereals but they are sooo high in sugar so I mix in Fiber One and that makes me feel better about eating the more processed cereal.:9
 
Most cereals have preservatives in either the flakes or in the plastic bag - that's why I would chose fruit over man made cereals.

No matter what 'experts' have to say, to me there aren't any 'verboten foods'. Balance is the key, balance and no guilt. Some of the stuff we put in our immediate environment (lysol, air fresheners, overuse of pain killers, preservates, food colorings etc.) are worse for our body than a bar of chocolate.
 
Hi jen!

I hear ya, your reasoning is sound. And like you said, it's a personal thing. There's so much to worry about and take care of in life (raising my kids, teaching my students, getting PhD finished, getting career off ground) that I refuse to fuss about glycemic indexes. I am glad your eating plan works for you though!

Did my day get better? Yup! But I am back grading papers again today and I'm ready to throw something or someone across the room! Why oh why don't some of them take more care with their work?!?!?!?!?!

Off now to bang head against wall........

Clare ;-)
 
Everyone:

you all did great on this thread, so sensible and courteous. I am sorry for being the volatile one: no Liane, I wasn't itching for a fight either!

Please forgive me. If only I could be done with this damn grading! x( Really, I'll be a much nicer person next week, promise. Meanwhile you ladies carry on being the nice people that you are!

I think, basically, we all reached a consensus on this thread didn't we?

Clare:)
 
Not sure if this is good news or not..but checked the GI at wwww.glycemicindex.com and a snickers bar is 68! Lower than the corn flakes! LOL! So I suppose (grin) a candy bar is NOT worse than a bowl of cereal? I stand corrected, ha ha.

Obviously key is to take into consideration calories, fat, fiber, carbs, protein AND the GI if you really wanted to watch what you are eating, I suppose. Plus the GI of the other foods you are eating with it....sheesh!

If the 3 kids are screaming and my DH is out of town, that is another story....that tips the scales heavily in favor of the snickers. Heavily.

Jen
 
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